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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wind — moving air
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pop — to visit
  9. dip — to sink
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. pop — soda
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. vault — a safe
  19. wind — moving air
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pop — music
  24. dip — to dunk

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com